The present invention relates to the field of disaster shelters and, in particular, to an entranceway for a disaster shelter that enhances the protection of its occupants in the event of a disaster.
In spite of a large amount of misinformation which has been presented to the public, there is convincing scientific and technical information available that it is possible for most people to survive a fall scale exchange of nuclear weapons, provided that proper advance preparations are made.
It is acknowledged that there would be little incentive for an individual to survive such a nuclear holocaust if, as a result, all life on earth were doomed to extinction or marginal existence. However, the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) has produced extensive reports on the atmospheric effects from various war scenarios, which contradict any such idea. In reality, therefore, the question today is not whether persons can survive a nuclear holocaust, but whether people have the will and determination to prepare for survival.
Some efforts have been made to prepare shelters capable of providing some degree of protection in the event of a nuclear blast or multiple detonations. Most such shelters were designed to afford a measure of protection from fallout. However, these fallout shelters provide no blast protection, nor do they protect against any number of certain other surface effects, such as a burst of nuclear radiation, the fireball which can reach millions of degrees Fahrenheit, thermal radiation transmitted from the fireball, fire storms produced by the thermal radiation, pressure waves (both under and over pressure), and blast wind.
A number of underground disaster shelters have been developed to overcome the problems attendant to traditional fallout shelters. The typical backyard, or personal, shelter has the capability of providing shelter for a small number of people, such as a family unit and incorporates features to protect its occupants against some of the effects of nuclear weapons. However, as these shelters must allow air to be taken in and vented, and must permit access to the shelter, it is possible for intruders to flush out the occupants with the use of gasoline, water, fire, etc. In addition, many current shelters do not protect against the use of a vehicle to force open the hatch.
In my U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,334 issued on Apr. 28, 1987, incorporated herein by reference, I describe a shelter capable of producing survival for its occupants during and after one or more nuclear blasts. Such a shelter is capable of withstanding large doses of neutron and gamma radiation, ground shock, and substantial over pressures, as well as a variety of other conditions, both short and long term, enumerated in my patent.
In my U.S. Pat. No. 5,115,613 issued on May 26, 1992, also incorporated herein by reference, I describe an improved shelter having an enhanced ability to resist the blast effect resulting from the detonation of a nuclear device. The shape of this shelter was rendered more compact and less expensive to manufacture and install than that of the shelter described in my U.S. Pat. No. 4,660,334 and the construction of the connecting shaft below the command station was improved such that the system better absorbed the downward forces on the command station.
Each of my patented shelters is effective at resisting a blast effect from the detonation of a nuclear or other explosive device, and allowing its occupants to survive such a blast. In addition, each may be sealed to prevent intruders from flushing out the occupants with gasoline, water, fire, etc., and each protects against the use of a vehicle to force open the hatch. However, neither of these shelters fully protects shelterists from assault by intruders. For example, neither employ an entranceway that has a low profile and may be easily concealed. Neither provides an entranceway that is fully fire resistant, such that an intruder utilizing a flamethrower would be deterred, or that provides the shelterists with an alternative means of egress in the event that an intruder covers the entranceway with a heavy object, such as a tree or large rock. Neither provides a quick acting hatch or integral locking bar to allow shelterists to quickly enter, close, and secure the hatch in the event that an intruder is observed. Finally, neither entranceway allows the air filtration and septic systems to be accessed from within the shelter.
Therefore, there is a need for a disaster shelter for protecting shelterists during disasters such as tornadoes, storms, forest fires, power failures, nuclear power plant accidents, nuclear terrorism, and a full scale protracted nuclear, chemical, and biological war, that includes an entranceway that is impervious to intruders. In particular, there is need for an entranceway for a disaster shelter that has a low profile and may be easily concealed, is fully fire resistant, provides the shelterists with an alternative means of egress in the event that an intruder covers the entranceway with a heavy object, provides a quick acting hatch or integral locking bar to allow shelterists to quickly enter, close, and secure the hatch in the event that an intruder is observed, and allows the air filtration and septic systems to be accessed from within the shelter.
The present invention is an entranceway for a disaster shelter and a disaster shelter that overcomes the drawbacks of the prior art. All embodiments of the entranceway include a substantially hollow main manway, a hatch dome ring disposed about, and extending outward from, the open top of the main manway; and a hatch dome cover removably attached to the hatch dome ring such that the hatch dome cover forms a weather resistant seal with the hatch dome ring.
In the preferred embodiment of the entranceway, the exterior surfaces of the hatch dome ring and hatch dome cover are manufactured of an intumescent laminate material. The preferred dome cover is attached to the hatch dome ring via a hinge and is secured to dome ring via an integral locking bar such that a substantially dome shaped surface having an angle of incidence of less than twenty degrees is formed. In this preferred embodiment, a substantially hollow emergency escape manway is disposed through the main manway wall to allow an alternate point of egress from the shelter in the event that the hatch dome cover is blocked by debris. An air inlet is preferably disposed through the main manway wall, and at least one vent opening is disposed through the hatch ring relative to the air inlet and dimensioned such that air is allowed to enter the air inlet and rain is prevented from entering the air inlet. The preferred entranceway also includes a HEPA air filter and a septic tank, disposed within an air filter compartment and septic compartment respectively. These compartments are preferably located exterior to the manway such that each may be accessed by a shelterist within the manway.
The disaster shelter includes an entranceway, a substantially hollow shelter cell, and a seismic joint joining the entranceway and the shelter cell. The seismic joint is dimensioned to allow the entranceway to move relative to the shelter cell and to maintain a watertight relationship between the entranceway and the shelter cell. The entranceway may be any variation of those described above, but will always include a substantially hollow main manway, a hatch dome ring disposed about, and extending outward from, the open top of the main manway; and a hatch dome cover removably attached to the hatch dome cover such that the hatch dome cover forms a weather resistant seal with the hatch dome ring.
Therefore, it is an aspect of the invention to provide a disaster shelter that is capable of resisting a blast effect from the detonation of a nuclear or other explosive device, and allowing its occupants to survive such a blast.
It is a further aspect of the invention to provide a disaster shelter including an entranceway, which is impervious to intruders.
It is a further aspect of the invention to provide an entranceway for a disaster shelter, which prevents intruders from flushing out the occupants with gasoline, water, fire, etc.
It is a further aspect of the invention to provide an entranceway for a disaster shelter, which protects against the use of a vehicle to force open the hatch.
It is a further aspect of the invention to provide an entranceway for a disaster shelter, which has a low profile and may be easily concealed.
It is a further aspect of the invention to provide an entranceway for a disaster shelter, which is fully fire resistant.
It is a further aspect of the invention to provide an entranceway for a disaster shelter, which provides the shelterists with an alternative means of egress in the event that an intruder covers the entranceway with a heavy object.
It is a further aspect of the invention to provide an entranceway for a disaster shelter, which provides a quick acting hatch or integral locking bar to allow shelterists to quickly enter, close, and secure the hatch in the event that an intruder is observed.
It is a further aspect of the invention to provide an entranceway for a disaster shelter, which does not include exposed bolts that may be removed to provide ingress to intruders.
It is a still further aspect of the invention to provide an entranceway for a disaster shelter, which allows the air filtration and septic systems to be accessed from within the shelter.
These aspects of the invention are not meant to be exclusive and other features, aspects, and advantages of the present invention will be readily apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art when read in conjunction with the following description, appended claims and accompanying drawings.